self-care & why I think it’s wrong

Happy Saturday friends!

I want to be giving of myself & completely selfless. It's a balance to learn how to do that to the best of my ability. Striving for selflessness can seem tiring. Jesus exemplified selflessness in the Bible and we are called to reflect His character.

"You, my brothers & sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Galatians 5:13-14

I don't like the term self-care. I think that it is not honoring to God because He calls us to love other and to not be selfish. But I do think that He calls us to take care of our bodies as a temple and to seek to glorify Him each day. In this, we are called to be pouring into people. I get the opportunity to work in pediatrics where I am teaching and waiting and helping pediatricians to provide the best care to their patients. I go to school where I am learning to become a social worker and love on people more vulnerable than myself. I nanny and care for babies and put them to bed and feed them and sing them comforting songs. I try my best to pour into relationships being a loving friend.

We cannot love other people if our needs are not being met. We are also not called to be selfish. So where does balance in this situation fall?

Notice that I said needs. Not wants or desires or putting ourselves first. But we can't pour from an empty cup. Our bodies need sleep and food and water. We need to be loved & having our emotional needs met to love others well. For me, this looks like prioritizing my time in the Word & prayer time. It means making sure I get in several runs a week to keep my body healthy & have some alone processing time. It means I like to spoil myself with coffee every morning (and usually every afternoon too haha). I love others best when I am also taking care of myself. I am so thankful we have a Savior that loves us and gives us hearts that desire to pour into other people and far more than we need for ourselves.

I think that when we are living our purpose of choosing to glorify & honor Christ in our daily life, He tells us that He will always care for us & meets our needs. We had such a confident hope knowing that He cares for us. I am so thankful for this reassurance. A great book recommendation that touches on this topic is “You’re Not Enough, and That’s Okay” by Allie Beth Stuckey. Would highly recommend her book & her podcast, Relatable.

Well friends, thanks for being here. I appreciate your reading. I truly believe we are called to encourage each other in selflessness & also care for each other. So I encourage you to look around…write a letter to a sweet friend, prayer for a family member & send them a text to let them know you are thinking of them, take a meal to a family that is struggling, take a friend on a coffee date & dig deeper into relationship.